Make your way to your hotel in Strasbourg and check-in. The rest of the day is yours to explore this wonderful old city. The beautifully preserved centre is perfect for exploring on foot and must-sees include the imposing Notre Dame Cathedral with its intricate and mesmerising astronomical clock, the baroque style Opera House and Petite France. The latter is a picturesque area between the two rivers, crammed with half-timbered houses and narrow cobbled streets. In the evening we recommend preparing yourself for the following day’s exertions with a plate of Sauerkraut and sausages accompanied by a glass of fortifying Alsace beer.

After breakfast you mount-up and bid Strasbourg au-revoir, cycling out of town beside the Rhone-Rhine Canal. A pleasant canal-side cycle path leads you through picturesque countryside deep into the Grand Ried. The Grand Ried is a low-lying region of meadows and woodlands that were prone to flooding before the Rhine River was finally tamed and canalised. The sediment from the river created a fertile landscape, rich in flora/fauna and cycling through it is a real pleasure. Your day ends in the town of Seléstat or in one its pleasant surrounding villages.

Your journey continues south today through the Grand Ried. The level landscape and quiet lanes make for easy cycling, allowing you to relax and enjoy the rural countryside as it drifts by. Small, well-kept villages appear at regular intervals providing plenty of opportunities for coffee/food breaks. Your destination today is Colmar, the main wine town of Alsace and a beautiful place to spend the night. Along the narrow streets of the old town around the Cathedral you’ll find plenty of charming, independent cafes, bars and restaurants serving Alsatian specialities. Here you’ll also find Maison Pfister, an elaborately painted and very photogenic 16th century residence.

A relatively short day’s cycling today, but what the route lacks in distance it makes up for in scenery. You’ll cycle south on level terrain through a succession of picture perfect Alsatian wine villages set amongst extensive vineyards. There’s plenty of time to explore the narrow, winding streets of these pretty little places before making your way to the town of Guebwiller, your home for the night. Guebwiller is a charming place nestled at the foot of the Vosges Mountains.

Today you turn north and follow the wine road along the base of the Vosges Mountains. The route is undulating and probably the toughest day of the tour but the scenery is serene and peaceful so stop for a break whenever you like. There are more gorgeous Alsatian villages on the route today and Eguisheim; voted France’s Favourite Village in 2013, could well win your vote as the prettiest of them all. Wrapped around itself protectively, the colourful houses guard the maze-like streets within. You’ll also enjoy exploring the picture-perfect villages of Turckheim and Kaysersberg before stopping for the night in or near the delightful Alsatian wine village of Riquewihr.

Today you keep following the wine road north through a sublime landscape of idyllic vineyards and quaint villages. There’s a beautiful village every 2 kms or so, and the hard bit is deciding which ones to cycle straight through and which ones to stop and explore further. Our personal recommendations are Hunawihr, Andlau and Mittelbergheim. Tonight you will stay in or near the town of Obernai and as you would expect this is another beautiful old place with cobbled streets, half-timbered houses and a charming town square.

Your last day’s cycling completes the circle back to the historic city of Strasbourg. You’ll pedal along country lanes through the village of Rosheim and the town of Molsheim to the Bruche Canal. You then enjoy a very pleasant and easy ride along the canal-side cycle path back to Strasbourg. The rest of day and evening is yours to relax and enjoy this charming old city. Why not celebrate your achievement with a lovely meal in one of old town’s many fine restaurants.

After breakfast it’s time to checkout and head for home or your next adventure.